Sunil Gavaskar says he admires Mohinder Amarnath's courage and self-belief but the usual protocol says teams chosen for tours are sent to the Board.

New Delhi: Against the backdrop of Mohinder Amarnath's revelation that MS Dhoni's sacking was over-ruled by N Srinivasan, former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar said on Wednesday that it is protocol for the final team chosen to be sent to the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

While Gavaskar conceded that unanimous decisions usually should be looked into, there are different layers and processes. "It's protocol actually. The protocol is that any team selected does go to the Board for approval, not just the captain but the 14 or 16 that is selected for a Test or an overseas tour. It's not just in India but I understand that's how it is even in Australia and England," he said.

Gavaskar was speaking on the accusation made by Amarnath that during his term as a selector, the entire committee had unanimously agreed that MS Dhoni should be sacked as skipper for the tour of Australia but that the decision was over-ruled. "Selectors should be given a free hand," Amarnath had said. (Read Amarnath's full interview to NDTV here)

Gavaskar too said that in an ideal situation, it would have been a bit different. "Ideally, if you have appointed a committee, then it is that committee's decision, particularly if it is a unanimous decision. Then it should be taken on board. But there are different layers. That's the way the constitution of the Board apparently is," he said adding that to completely rule out N Srinivasan's good judgement may be incorrect too. "For us to think that the Board president does not have the interest of cricket at heart, I think, is taking it a bit too far. In his own wisdom, he might have thought that the call that the selection committee had made wasn't the right one and he sent it back to them. It happens in our parliament."

The veteran cricketer however did mention that he admired Amarnath's courage. "Anybody who has the courage of his convictions and to be able to come out has to be admired. There is no question about it. I think the fact that he (Amarnath) is prepared to face the consequences is a testimony of his self-belief," he said when asked of his opinion on why Amarnath had spilled the beans now and not when he was in the selection panel.